Plagg Confession
by FlimFlam3
Summary: At first glance, an akumatized villain sent Adrien Agreste to the Hospital. But can the truth be more complex? Can the guilty one be... Plagg?


**1 - The author does not own nor clains to own Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir, nor have any relation with Zagtoon, Method, Toei or SAMG**

 **2 - English is not my first language, so be aware.**

 **3 - Opinions, suggestions, criticisms and "aw, c'mon!" welcomed**

"Time puts things in perspective, you know? I could say you are lucky to live in this century, with all these machines and advanced medicine. Most Chat Noirs of the past would be dead by now. Then again, in a hundred years I will remember this room and say the same to another Chat, in even worst conditions. Like I said, perspective.

I have a lot to say to you, Adrien. I joke and talk about food to avoid saying it. To avoid feeling it. But you deserve to know. I am not sure you can hear, but at least, I can talk. The night is long and it belongs to the cats. I will talk.

I did not begged for you. I begged for the last five Chats, and it changed not a thing. Ladybug is the only one who can undo the evil, says Her Stupidness Queen Tikki. Without a Ladybug, it's game over, she must be protected, and blah, blah, blah. So I did not beg for you, did not pleaded for us to make things some other way. It would not make a difference, and, at least, I was spared of a speech.

What do you think we, kwamis, give to our partners? Superhuman agility, endurance, speed, sure. Strength, in some cases; night vision, in yours. Fantastic magic weapons, too. But Adrian, there's more.

When a new Ladybug and Chat Noir met by the first time, the Ladybug uniform start to ooze a series of subtle aromas and lights that… well, some years ago, we would call magic. Today, I think the so-called experts call pheromones and such. Tikki says it is just a hint, a small help if that Chat Noir falls in love with Ladybug, that in no way she is forcing him to fall in love with her, creating an artificial passion… I do not buy it.

I do not buy it because every man and boy I choose end love-struck. Over the years, I've chosen two or three gays, once I even managed to convince Tikki to reverse the role, with a female Chat for a male Ladybug, and the result was the same. The cats fall in love. And more than a handful of Ladybugs do not reciprocate. If you believe it is just a way to 'help' the natural course, I may sell you the Eiffel Tower for its weight in cheese.

I try to ask Tikki, to reason with her, just to hear another speech about the need to protect our most valuable player.

I hate that pink granny.

And I am at fault too, Adrien. You and all the others. When you transform, I… I have to mess with your brain. I turn off some of your self-preservation instinct; replace it with an urge to protect Ladybug. So… ultimately, it was not the akumatized villain that put you in this hospital. It was me.

Funny thing, you offer almost no resistance to this change. Some Chats fight this mental short-circuit. I do not know why you all don't react the same way. Maybe Tikki is right, maybe you would fall in love with Ladybug no matter what. Even a broken watch is right twice a day, huh?

I know it is easier to think I am the broken one, not her. When I eventually met the Ladybugs, they say how wonderful Tikki is, how she helps them to grow as a person and as heroines. And what the Chats say about me? That I joke about food.

But Tikki, she prepares the girls to save the world. She make demigoddesses. I teach soldiers to leap and run towards their own funeral.

So I joke and talk about food. I try to avoid to get too close, to get too attached. If you don't make it, I will start working with Kim, you know, that tall friend of yours. No time to mourning. I will probably crack a joke about him lacking the money to feed me the fine cheese you do, and that's it.

After all, there must be a Chat to protect Ladybug. Always.

If you make it, Adrien, you will do it all again. You will put yourself in the line of fire to protect your Lady. And again. And again.

And… you are just a child. You do not deserve all the hurt I will put you through. It would be easy, you know. I could just Cataclysm these machines and you would rest."

The black kwami sighed and flew to the wardrobe with Adrien belongings and, with difficulty, dragged his ring to the bed.

"I am too old for this…" Looking for the hand free of medical tubes, wires and whatnots, Plagg started slipping the ring on Adrien finger:

"Here I go, Adrien, breaking the rules I made for myself. Rules that helped me go through the last two ones. I cannot promise you much. My curative abilities are far from being something to write home about. If you make it, be sure you will not be safe. But, and this is the only thing I can assure you, we will suffer together. I will cry, I will blame myself, but… darn it, I like you. I shouldn't, but I do. Must be the cheese talking."

With that, Plagg threw himself into the ring, covering Adrien in black cloth, warming him, helping the teenager body to recover, in the closest to a hug a kwami can do.

TWO WEEKS LATER

"Hospital food! I have nothing but Hospital food to eat. If this isn't a sign Hawkmoth won, I don't know what is!"

Adrian chuckled and scratched the kwami's head with a finger

"It's hard to believe, but I missed your endless complaining, Plagg."

Plagg turn his head away from the teenager, hiding his eyes that started to get wet.

"Here, try finish eating this bland thing they dare to call jell-o. How many more days your doctors said?"


End file.
